693.116/156: Telegram
The First Secretary of Embassy in China (Salisbury) to the Secretary of State
[Received 7:20 p.m.]
606. Embassy’s 570, September 19, 5 p.m.86
1. A secretary of the Japanese Embassy called this afternoon and read the following statement:
“(a) The Japanese and Chinese authorities will purchase 50 American radio sets already imported in order to lessen the danger to American importers in Tientsin.
(b) Except for these 50 sets, the authorities are unable to allow importation of all wave sets unless changed into long wave. Officials will examine in the custom house whether the change has been made. The Chinese and Japanese authorities have no objection to acceptance of the American proposal to extend the wave length of long wave sets which may be imported from 550 to 1500 kilocycles to 540 to 1750 kilocycles.
(c) Importation of parts will be permitted if importers have no objection to offer written assurances that they will not be used for altering the character of sets and will not be used for assembling sets and if reports in this regard will be made by importers.
Chinese and Japanese authorities have been obliged to make such restrictions in order to maintain peace and order and to check activities of spies. (Before the present incident happened the Chinese Government allowed importation of radio sets only when official permission was obtained and therefore theoretically there would have been no necessity for the present circumstances to make the proclamation of July 14 but they made it in order to make the situation clear.)”
Subsequently the secretary stated that, prior to the incident, Japanese importers faced many difficulties in obtaining import duty permits from the Chinese Government.
2. I informed the secretary that the concessions in regard to long wave sets would seem to be satisfactory to American importers but that the requirement that all wave sets be altered to long wave sets would cause the importers heavy loss because such alterations would seriously affect the value and marketability of those sets.
3. The Department’s instructions are requested.87
Repeated to Chungking, Shanghai, Tokyo and Tientsin.